Dr. Geraldine (Geri) Richmond
Under Secretary for Science and Innovation
U.S. Department of Energy
Dr. Richmond is currently serving as the Undersecretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy (DOE). In this role she oversees the DOE's Office of Science, the largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences in the U.S., DOE’s applied R&D offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Nuclear Energy, and Electricity as well as 13 of DOE’s national laboratories. She is on leave from the University of Oregon where she holds the Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry. Her research focuses on laser-based and computational methods to understand the structure and dynamics at liquid surfaces with relevance to environmental and technological interests. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and has received numerous awards including the National Medal of Science. A career-long advocate for underrepresented groups in STEM fields, she is the founding director of a grass-roots organization called COACh that has helped over 25,000 women scientists and engineers in career advancement in the U.S. and in dozens of developing countries around the world. A native of Kansas, Richmond received her B.S. in chemistry from Kansas State University and her Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
Mark Ackiewicz
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Carbon Management
U.S. Department of Energy
Mr. Mark Ackiewicz is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Carbon Management Technologies, leading the Office's research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D) portfolio, and collaborating domestically and internationally with a wide range of stakeholders.
Before joining DOE in 2007, he worked in the private sector as a consultant, and in various industrial research and engineering positions, where he was responsible for process development and scale-up activities.
Mark is a 2016-2017 White House Leadership Development Fellow alumnus. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master's in Engineering Management from George Washington University.
Scott Parent
VP & Field CTO
Energy | Aerospace | Industrials
ANSYS
Scott is currently VP & Field CTO at Ansys, connecting globally with customers to understand their digital engineering development needs and aligning methodologies Ansys has to support their transitions. Scott had a number of preceding CTO/COO roles with GE, bp and Baker Hughes.
Scott has a broad leadership background in technology from multi-physics simulation to robotics, analytics, sensors development, asset health monitoring, AI/ML, additive, computer vision, edge analytics and other associated 4-IR technologies. Scott has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maine, and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Cedric F. Green
Senior Vice President – Generation
Dominion Energy Virginia
Dr. Cedric F. Green is senior vice president–Generation, Dominion Energy Virginia.
He is responsible for the operations, engineering, and maintenance of Dominion Energy's fossil, hydro, and renewable generating facilities and its energy storage portfolio, as well as solar generating facilities housed at Contracted Energy.
Prior to the merger with Dominion Energy, Green started his career at SCANA in 1994 as an intern. For the next 25 years, he held several leadership roles in electric and gas operations, in both North and South Carolina. He was named the Southeast Energy Group's vice president–Gas Services in 2019, and later that year became vice president–Gas Transmission & Storage Technical Services. In 2020, he was named vice president–Technical Services for Dominion Energy Virginia. He assumed his current position in 2022.
Green serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Virginia's College at Wise. He also has served on the Board of Directors for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and served as Chairman of the Leadership South Carolina Board of Trustees. In 2021, he joined the boards of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, Thrive Birth to Five for the Richmond region, and the Henrico Education Foundation.
Green is a graduate of University of South Carolina, where he earned all his degrees: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, MBA, M.E. Mechanical Engineering, and Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the state of South Carolina. Green completed the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations’ Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2024.